#9-Interview with Infiltration

Edition for true metalfans

#9†31.03.2020

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Infiltration• Death Metal from Saint-Petersburg•Russia

Interview with Pavel Vakhlakov

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Interview by Evgeny Destroyer

- Infiltration is quite a young band, but while listening to ya tracks, it seems like you’ve already got some experience in Extreme Metal before. Tell us a little about each of the members: who is who, in what projects did you okay before and how did you end up all together in one band?

Hey, bro! First of all, thanks for having me, it’s always an honor to be able to talk about what we do, to describe us basically, plus of course I’m very grateful to you for the given opportunity. So, here we go, yeah, like you’ve just said we are relatively new band, but everyone of us had been

playing in various bands prior the formation of Infiltration.

The band itself was started by these two, immensely talented dudes, Andrew and Eugene, formerly of local Groove metal band “Free at Last”, so it makes sense to start

smart, very funny too! But also – he is one hell of a guitar player, very well rounded! Not only is he technically prominent, but also he is a true composer, who absolutely knows what he does when he grabs his guitar, who can make his instrument really shine, when it comes to riffing or soloing, his phonation is a top notch. I can’t stress enough just how freaken talented he is!

Guys, just listen to this dude, really! And I always smile when I hear him playing! Prior to starting Infiltration, he was a guitarist for Free at Last.

r u o in s s u c is d e w s g The thin ality. e r in d e t o o r e r a s g n so with introducing them first!

Our guitarist, Eugene – Well, I just love that guy!))) He is super nice, absolutely cool cat, he just has got that great vibe about him, that makes you want to be around. He is very

Beside our band he also played in Hellbomb (great black metal band) Our bass guitarist, Andrew – Whatever I have just said about Eugene I can repeat here, as it is absolutely fits with Andrew! The way he plays, the way he writes songs, the way he arranges riffs and rhythm patterns, you can tell he is a 100% pro. He just knows how to groove. I don’t think you can mimic it, it’s either in you or it is not. That guy has it and then some!!! But there is one very cool thing about Andrew, it is some kind of an instinct, he just knows what fits best for the song. When we were recording our new album, I noticed, how I would think like: “hmmm… ok I’m not sure if I nailed the part, should I try once more?” and the next thing I know Andrew goes: “I think we should try once again, you can do better than that…” He just has this “special ear”, you know?!

Again, very tal-

ented bass and guitar player, super smart dude, has an incredible sense of humor, very cool to be around! Played bass in Free at Last and also sang there for quite sometime. Plus, he’s got a long hair, which automatically makes his stage presence hella known and, well, dominating!!!)))

Our drummer, Alex Semenov – Well, some fellas need little presentation, as their impressive amount of works speak for themselves… It’s safe to say that Alex is one of the best drummers in Russia, very accurate, very precise, very hard hitting drummer, with just an incredible stage presence. I first saw and met Alex as early as 2006, when we (with my then band Abnormal) went to Moscow where we played with his then band Katalepsy! (Tolya if you happen to read these lines, then Hi, Cheers and Respect) love me some Katalepsy… but I digress...

So back to Alex, he is experienced in both studio and live situations, played with bunch of bands such as aforementioned

Katalepsy (as a drummer), Perimeter (as a vocalist) – yeah, not only is he a splendid drummer, but also one hell of a vocalist too! He constantly involved with bunch of bands as a session musician, so guys keep in mind that! If you need a drummer, producer, vocal coach – contact Alex then! Naturally I love his playing as it sounds very catchy and he never let’s go of groove, even when he goes super-fast!

He is just a joy to watch!!! By the way, check out his main band HELLBOMB these are some relentless dudes who play ferocious black metal!!!

I just love to be around these mofos!!!)

I also feel blessed to be able to play with them, it’s an honor and well, pure joy, really!!!

Love these guys!

All in all, all of us had known of each other a long before we started the band, as we would see every one of us playing here and there over the course of many years. We started playing in various local bands around the same time I suppose, circa the beginning of 2000s that is, but somehow we never had a chance to play together up until 2017!!!

On how we got together: It actually happened during an odd show I did for a local band, where I was playing temporarily, and quite frankly wasn’t going to stay with them and it was my last show, which took place in one of our local clubs.

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Infiltration• Death Metal from Saint-Petersburg•Russia

For whatever reason, Andrew and Eugene visited that gig and obviously saw me on the stage.

After that show we had a very brief conversation, and I didn’t even think I’d see the guys for another 5 or 6 years, you know?! ha ha… however, few weeks later, I received a phone call and a message from Andrew where he pretty much asked if I was interested in recording several songs with them… To be honest I was skeptical at first, as I had just quit that band and wanted to concentrate on my main band at the time (Chamber of torture that is) because it was the band that i started as early as 2004 and was sole original member and I always felt a huge responsibility for it, however as of 2020 we are disbanded, to my chagrin… but I digress as usual. So I originally didn’t plan to have another band, but I agreed to listen to what the guys had written, for I’d known that they had a lot of talent!

Well... little did I know back 4

then… HOLY FUCK!!!! I remember playing what eventually became our title song “nuclear strike warning” and

immediately thought: “this is the best shit I’d heard in ages” barrage of killer riffs, fat as fuck grooves… needless to say I was hooked. I pretty much started to write lyrics to those four tunes instantly. Funny thing is that lyrically I wanted to cover the whole range of social topics from wars to any other form of social injustice… and when I was about to say that it wasn’t going to be “your typical, gore and Satan kind of stuff” Andrew beat me to a minute when he called and said, that lyrically, they didn’t t want typical brutal content… talking about instincts...

Now don’t get me wrong it doesn’t mean that social ills ar-

en’t brutal or anything, in fact I opine it’s quite opposite, cos the things we discuss in our songs are rooted in reality unlike superficial and grotesque brutal stories, which are cool as well of c o u r s e .

So to cut a long story short, the straight standing hair on my hands was a good enough indicator, that we should give it a go!

-It’s very remarkable that Death Metal from 90’s influenced you very much. What can you say about this? What Death monsters had the strongest impact on you?

Oh it easy! We all grew up on western heavy music and I believe that 90 was the pinnacle of musical prosperity! everything from Thrash, to Death, to newer genres such as groove, then punk, hard core.

Here I can speak for myself but I grew up mainly on New York Hard Core, Hip-Hop and first wave of New metal, then I added a vast portion of Death Metal. As for the other guys it is everything from Black metal to classic hard n heavy stuff.

This is what I assume, influenced everyone of us and that what everyone of us brings to the table, when it comes to writing.

As for the band, well in general, I think its Napalm Death (especially Colin Richardson phase as I call it) 90-98, Pantera (of course), Bolt Thrower and Obituary (cos nobody grooves like these two bands do), Slayer (because they are the best band ever, period) Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under, Vomitory, and just about anything that s catchy, groovy and has a memorable riffs in it. Yeah, these are our main influences -Are there several variations to translate the name of the band? How do you see it and what does it mean for you?

It was Andrew who found that term in one those books dedicated to military operations and warfare or something. So he knows the true meaning behind the moniker ha ha... But I would say this, as we are grown enough and I hope sufficiently experienced to make it big, so to me Infiltration bears somewhat prophetic meaning as we basically ready to INFILTRATE the bigger stages, and not only

within our own country but also beyond! The way I see it, is that these guys Alex, Eugene, Andrew they deserve to be heard, they are hella talented and we work our asses off just to be worth of listening, referring to, being a fan of, kind of a band. Also we always respect people who come out and

support us during our life shows, so you can say that we also INFILTRATE your minds and hearts with our charm, ha ha!)

-At the end of January, you shared the stage with the British band Ingested, which performed in St. Petersburg as part of a world tour. What was it like to share a scene with such band?

It was great, really! First of all, I’d like to thank Ilya Rytov who offered us a gig. But mostly we just love playing live, I don’t think you can ever substitute this feeling when you see a crowd going

insane, in front of you, it’s so cool to see how your song sends a spark of electricity into the crowd and how this very energy goes back at you!!! Man it was awesome!

Then of course, Ingested, super nice fellas, very laid back, very cool. Kudos to Jason for the CD))) -I would also like to dwell on your performance with Napalm Death at the end of September last year. I think that it was unrealistic to play on the same stage with such monsters.

Share your impressions.

Precisely! This is one of those bands, one of a kind really!

I fail to name any extreme band who wasn’t influenced by these forefathers of extreme metal. Yeah it was great! But also, again, because we are all fairly seasoned musicians if I may say so, we didn’t exactly loose our heads, acting out on emotions (you know, cos you’re standing 10 meters away from the legends, it’s such a major wow effect), but rather took matters seriously cos we knew that the band was quite tired from then prolonged touring and we acted accordingly, you know, like: “Ok, we gotta play to our best capabilities, so that we could warm up the crowd in a proper way” …

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Infiltration• Death Metal from Saint-Petersburg•Russia

which one the worst?

Oh… hmmm.

Well I absolutely loved our gig in Riga last may at Melna Piektdiena club alongside Deformity, Iron Wings and Heaven

It is already, recorded, mixed and mastered! It will be out this year, this much I can tell you!!!

But what I can also tell you is that we put all of our hearts, souls, blood, sweat and tears into it, and trust me, what we came up with is just the finest piece of death metal from Russia! Just give it a listen when it comes out! We took all of our influences, added our own talents and ideas put it all through

even tell you which one of my performances sucks more, ha ha…

I just can’t sit and relax and pick the good one, I’m way too biased when it comes to my part…))

- You didn’t for so many years. Which one release any full-length album do you consider the best and yet. Are there any plans about it?

blender and cast out a sound equivalent of the slab of concrete - What are your plans for the future? Will it be possible to participate in open air next summer, performances in clubs with someone brutal, or conclude a contract with a record company (label) to promote your future album?

Well, we’re pretty much working on just about everything you have just recapitulated ha ha! Yeah, you said it best man!

I believe we did just that. Again thanks a lot to promoters and people who actually came to see us too! Because it’s so important to the opening band to get noticed. And I think the fact that we play from our hearts, we are honest, it’s kinda felt I guess, and all these guys and girls weren’t let down with us as an opening act -You’ve played lots of concerts

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Grey. KILLER time, awesome people, great venue, hands down one of our best gigs. On the other hand - I am VERY critical of myself, to the point that I can’t

- How do you see the development of extreme metal scenes in our country? Now the alternative movement and metalcore movement is gaining popularity and the situation is not only in our country, but throughout the world. What should such brutal teams like Infiltration do to keep it all and continue to delight fans of Death metal?

I think that Death Metal, Black Metal, Thrash metal, Hard core, crossover, punk rock, doom metal, sludge… are here to stay no matter what!

I also think that it is to our advantage that we are in a minority, cos I think these aforementioned pure styles of extreme music are only for those of pure views if you will.

That actually makes these genres and bands more valuable. Besides, today when everybody so “modern, proggy, djent oriented, core this-core that” it is US old school metal bands who actually stand out! Musicians and fans alike are allergic to anything water downed and that keeps these styles very raw and very pure but with fewer listeners.

While I’m at it, I must add that I’ve nothing against Metalcore, alternative metal and the likes,

in fact I’m a big fan of these more modern styles of music, and I listen to it a lot, it’s just that I love to express myself through a rawer music I guess.

-Which of the Russian bands are worth to pay attention?

Who do you think is worthy of the attention of both local and foreign metalheads?

There are so many, man!

Right of the bat: my bros in

PYRE, HELLBOMB, BUICIDE, GRAVE DISGRACE, STUBBORN, WOMBRIPPER, GROND… man there’s a lot of more obscure but as awesome bands as well, DAMPNESS for example or NEVA -From the editorial board of Inside the Darkness magazine, I wish your band success and more good, brutal albums. Be aggressive and evil, and carry metal to the masses. At the end of our inter-

view, our traditional question is your wishes to those who are reading this interview.

Guys n Girls if you read this: We thank YOU for YOUR time, thank YOU for YOUR support, and we absolutely do it for YOU. Music has always been that magical instrument that could bring people together, that could get you through the tough times and essentially be a soundtrack to your life. I remember how every time when my favorite band released an album be it Cannibal Corpse, Slayer or whatever – I d always felt HAPPY despite the fact that it is some heavy and aggressive sounding music, I believe it bears such a strong positive energy! I wish you guys to be happy and with that in mind we dedicated our new album to YOU!!!

Cheers Paul and INFILTRATION Links of band: https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCXHQWfaD0YsGbC8fiuy5T2A https://infiltrationdeath.bandcamp.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ infiltrationdeath/ https://vk.com/infiltrationdeath

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